Palma Le Jeune."The Taking of Constantinople", 1204
Pope Innocent III: Reprimand of Papal Legate was a letter written in anger to the papal legate. The original target of the Fourth Crusade was Palestine and Egypt; the Crusaders were trying to regain the Holy Land back but ended up causing more chaos. Boniface Monferrat was the leader of the Fourth Crusade. All of his followers were ready to do whatever they needed to to help the cause; they even sold their land to help fund the Crusaders. They needed all the weapons and ships they could get in order to attack Constantinople. Monferrat was under the rule of Enrico Dondolo, a Venetian whose old age and blindness did not stop him from leading the Fourth Crusade to Constantinople. These two had an agreement with Venice for transport across the sea but the costs exceeded the amount they could pay which is why they sold their land. Although, some of the Crusaders refused to attack Zara, a lot of them still went even knowing that Pope Innocent II was forbidding this and threatening to excommunicate them. This was the first official attack on a Christian city under the Crusaders.
Pope Innocent II was not under the impression that the Crusaders were going to attack Zara. Pope Innocent to papal legate: “It was your duty to attend to the business of your legation and to give careful consideration, not to the capture of the Empire of Constantinople, but rather to the defense of what is left of the Holy Land and, with the Lord's leave, the restoration of what has been lost. We made you our representative and we sent you to gain, not temporal, but rather eternal riches. And for this purpose, our brethren provided adequately for your needs.” (Pope Innocent II, p. 2)
"He was confused as to why they had to attack Constantinople, their job was to regain the territory not attack them. Once this was all over they returned from the unachieved conquest they came home to nothing because they had sold everything to gain money in hope to attack Constantinople and be successful. In my opinion this was a complete waste of time and they went through all the trouble for nothing. They did not achieve what they sent out to do. The Venetians knew that this was a voyage that was not reachable. In my opinion they just wanted the strength of the Crusaders and their help."
Authors: Allison Hiza
Sources: Pope Innocent III, Ep 136, Patrologia Latina 215, 669-702, translated by James Brundage, The Crusades: A Documentary History, (Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press, 1962), 208-09
Pope Innocent III: Reprimand of Papal Legate was a letter written in anger to the papal legate. The original target of the Fourth Crusade was Palestine and Egypt; the Crusaders were trying to regain the Holy Land back but ended up causing more chaos. Boniface Monferrat was the leader of the Fourth Crusade. All of his followers were ready to do whatever they needed to to help the cause; they even sold their land to help fund the Crusaders. They needed all the weapons and ships they could get in order to attack Constantinople. Monferrat was under the rule of Enrico Dondolo, a Venetian whose old age and blindness did not stop him from leading the Fourth Crusade to Constantinople. These two had an agreement with Venice for transport across the sea but the costs exceeded the amount they could pay which is why they sold their land. Although, some of the Crusaders refused to attack Zara, a lot of them still went even knowing that Pope Innocent II was forbidding this and threatening to excommunicate them. This was the first official attack on a Christian city under the Crusaders.
Pope Innocent II was not under the impression that the Crusaders were going to attack Zara. Pope Innocent to papal legate:
“It was your duty to attend to the business of your legation and to give careful consideration, not to the capture of the Empire of Constantinople, but rather to the defense of what is left of the Holy Land and, with the Lord's leave, the restoration of what has been lost. We made you our representative and we sent you to gain, not temporal, but rather eternal riches. And for this purpose, our brethren provided adequately for your needs.” (Pope Innocent II, p. 2)
"He was confused as to why they had to attack Constantinople, their job was to regain the territory not attack them. Once this was all over they returned from the unachieved conquest they came home to nothing because they had sold everything to gain money in hope to attack Constantinople and be successful.
In my opinion this was a complete waste of time and they went through all the trouble for nothing. They did not achieve what they sent out to do. The Venetians knew that this was a voyage that was not reachable. In my opinion they just wanted the strength of the Crusaders and their help."
Authors:
Allison Hiza
Sources:
Pope Innocent III, Ep 136, Patrologia Latina 215, 669-702, translated by James Brundage, The Crusades: A Documentary History, (Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press, 1962), 208-09